My Violin

The violin is torture. It makes me grit my teeth and wish for it to be over. I hate when it sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard and makes me grimace and shout in frustration because it pains my ears to listen to it. I hate to practice because when I pick it up, it makes me sick just thinking about all the pain I’m about to go through. It makes my fingers ache when I push them down onto the fingerboard, and often I find cuts on them from the strings. It frustrates me when I pull the bow across the strings and a squeaky, terrible sound comes out when I’ve practiced thousands of hours on trying to make it sound beautiful. I hate when I’m shut up in a hot, smelly room practicing my instrument and at the same time watching out the window and longing to be with my friends having a great time in the sparkling sun outside. It seems almost as if the violin is a torture instrument, invented to cause grief and misery. I dread having to practice the violin each day. I procrastinate playing it as long as possible. Eventually, though, I must play it each day to survive the weekly lessons with my teacher. The violin is painful. It is torture. It is a punishment. 

But how can I hate the violin? Something always brings me back to it each day. Maybe it is the beautiful, intricate design, or possibly the expensive, golden wood it is made from. It could be the soft, careful hairs crafted into the bow. It could be the music it makes. Oh, the music it makes! A single note will make my heart leap for joy! I play the violin and I am in heaven. The sound is like nothing ever heard before. It is elegant and graceful and exquisite. The joy of creating such a sound is priceless. That is why it is worth it to endure everything else that comes with the violin. The hours of dedicated practicing and stressed rehearsals are nothing compared to the happiness this instrument brings! The art of pulling the bow across the strings takes talent! It takes diligence and enthusiasm. Not anyone can create that amazing sound, that glorious, engaging resonance. That is why so many people work at the violin. They want to be a part of something so amazing.

Playing the violin cannot be a chore, practicing it cannot be something to be checked off a list. It must be a journey. It must be a constant rehearsal. There needs to always be that song playing in the head. It needs to sink in, not just to the skin, but penetrate the heart. The violin must be a part of the very soul for it to work its magic. The increased amount of time spent practicing and practicing it will increase the charm and lovely sound it offers.

Then they ask, why do I call the violin torture? True, it is pain. At first, the sound is repulsive. But after hours and hours of practicing this matchless treasure called a violin, finally it begins to obey and give off the music freely. I call the violin torture because of what it takes to make the ultimate sound I wish for. I hate the journey to perfecting my playing. It really is painful! (Read all about it in paragraph one! ) But there is no equal to the final masterpiece. It is magic. It is beauty. It is heavenliness. It is powerful. It will and has changed lives.

That is why I love the violin. 

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Last night when I wrote this, I didn't realize that anyone would actually read this. I understand that this is a public blog, and virtually anyone can read it. I just didn’t think anyone would be interested enough to read a girl’s unprofessional, amateur writing. Apparently, my mom was interested in what she had seen my writing last night, and went back and read everything I said about my violin. She wasn’t happy.

“Do you want to quit the violin? Because if you don’t want to take lessons anymore, that’s perfectly fine. I don’t want to torture you….” She said.

Great. Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. I LOVE the violin with a passion! Even though probably not many people will end up reading this, I don’t want anyone to walk away from reading this thinking that the violin is torture. I completely encourage anyone and everyone to play the violin. I think my choosing to play the violin is in the Top 5 best decisions I have made in my entire life! It has changed my life for the better and enhanced my happiness. I love to play the violin (and piano….) more than almost anything else I do in the whole world!!!!

So mom, if you are reading this, the violin is not physical pain. It isn’t actual torture. I meant it as an expression. Not improving is like torture for me. If I work at something for a long period of time and don’t see any improvement in myself or my playing, I get frustrated and feel tortured. Picking up the instrument does not literally hurt. It actually feels good! I love the thought that when I pick up my violin, I get to play it and have at least an hour of pure joy. I said it is painful because of my own emotions. When I don’t progress, I get mad at myself. It is not the violin itself that hurts. It is my own emotions that pain me when I feel like my practicing is a waste. But really, I know my practicing is never a waste. Each day to make my playing positive and encouraging, I tell myself this: “As long as you keep practicing, this is the worst you will ever play.”

I’m sorry if I did not make myself completely clear before. I really do love the violin. I love it I love it I love it I love it and I would NEVER say that I hate it or want to quit. It is beautiful and brings me blessings and joy.

I love the violin. 

Shackleton's Stowaway: How I actually feel

Why did we have to read this?!

"Shackleton's Stowaway": My personal feelings about the book

Shackleton’s Stowaway

“Doc Macklin is about to cut off my toes. Bad enough frostbite kills the flesh. That’s what happened to my feet. Nothing to do now but amputate.” - Shackleton’s Stowaway (page 2) Imagine what it would be like to be stranded on an island in the middle of Antarctica! Imagine having to eat seal and penguin plain for almost two years! Imagine living under a cramped lifeboat with twenty two other stinky, cranky men that haven’t showered for over a year! This is what Perce Blackborow went through in 1914 when he stowed away on Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance and ended up stranded in the freezing cold Antarctic. Shackleton’s Stowaway is a true story about Perce Blackborow written by Victoria McKernan. 

Perce Blackborow is an optimistic young man who stows away on Ernst Shackleton’s voyage to explore the Antarctic aboard the Endurance because he isn’t chosen by Shackleton as part of the official crew. Only part way into the journey, the Endurance is trapped and crushed by the harsh winter ice, and the crew is forced to abandon the sinking ship. Because there is no rescue party available or anywhere near them, the crew strays to an island and camps there for almost two years while Shackleton and a few of the crew members set off in a lifeboat to try to find help somewhere. The crew of the Endurance has to eat seals and penguins for almost two years and live huddled underneath two overturned lifeboats until Shackleton and the rest of the crew finally return with a rescue ship in 1916.

This is an amazing, true survival story that constantly kept me reading! Some historical scenes in this book were a little boring, but I really loved how Victoria McKernan kept it interesting despite the uneventful parts of the story. She could have only included exact dates and facts in the book, but it would have been so much less entertaining. The author turned this historical event into an amazing novel full of suspense and drama. 

The main theme I noticed in this book was perservearance. Throughout the two years that the crew of the Endurance was stuck in the middle of Antarctica practically starving, they never lost hope of being rescued. If I would have been there with them, I probably would have given up after only a few weeks! I admire the crew for their hope and patience. I was also really glad when I found out that they thought about cannibalizing, but chose not to because they knew it was wrong and disgusting. Not even hunger could conquer them. Because they were patient, they were finally rewarded almost two years later when Shackleton and the rest of the crew rescued them. This shows that perservearance really does pay off, even if enduring is hard. 

I loved that this was a dramatic, suspenseful true story! I actually learned a lot about ships, the Antarctic, and history while reading this book. I really liked how Victoria Mckernan kept it interesting and exciting even when the historical events weren’t. The way that she wrote the book helped me to learn and be entertained also! I would recommend this book to young adults or adults who like adventure, because Shackleton’s Stowaway is full of it! 

THINGS THAT DRIVE ME (and probably others too) CRAZY!!!!!!

1)            People that think they can make me do all the work on projects just because I actually care about doing the work! People, just do your own work for a change! I think teachers in school should stress more the fact that this is actually is a form of cheating. Lots of students think that they can make the less forceful and demanding students do the work and get credit, but lately, I’ve decided not to let people do this to me anymore. Actually, this happened mostly in Elementary School, not so much in Junior High. Guess it’s not really one of my biggest pet peeves anyway……….Okay. From now on I will stick strictly to my greatest pet peeves. J

2)            People that are unaware that they are constantly either cracking their knuckles or smacking on their gum. Yuck. Disgusting. Did you know that popping your knuckles is bad for your joints? Yeah. You probably shouldn’t do that anymore, people! And, according to some science smart person, gum can give you cancer. It seems like everything lately can give you cancer…………oh well. I’m not going to live under a rock just so I don’t get cancer!

3)            People that make extremely obvious spelling and/or grammar mistakes, and are completely oblivious. The one that bothers me the most is probably when people try to spell “You’re” but write “your” instead! Arguhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! One of the worst ones I’ve ever seen is a sign out in front of someone’s yard that said “Apples for sale!” But instead of “Apples” they wrote “Apple’s”. Seriously people. Learn how to spell. Go to school. J

4)            Girls that eat way to little and/or skip meals to be thin.  Lots of girls at school and everywhere are obsessed with being healthy and skinny. I know that being healthy is a great thing to care about, but when you’re obsessed and skip breakfast and lunch just to look thin? Seriously! It’s so annoying! I don’t do this. Personally, I think it’s great to be healthy, but I would never skip meals to be thin! I have a friend who always does this “try to be skinny” thing, so for lunch, the only thing she eats is something like a piece of chocolate or a cookie. I think that eating only some kind of junk for lunch is just as bad (if not worse) as eating a regular meal! (I have such a strong opinion about this, I could write an entire essay about it! Maybe I will………….)

I sound like a grouch today. I’m really not, I’m actually having a great day today! I just felt like writing a list of things that are annoying. Sorry, whoever is reading this, if I ever do any of these yucky and annoying things. (except the “try to be skinny” thing! I would NEVER do that! It’s stupid!) I know they drive lots of people crazy. I apologize profoundly! J

PSEUDOFULACIOUS

 Here is a little story I wrote. Don’t get your hopes up………..

PSEUDOFULACIOUS

     Torn from the comfort and safety of my home, the corybantic soldiers threw me over their shoulders like a dead body and hauled all twelve of us suspects across town in the dead of night.  The moon and her halo that hung around her glowed in the sky, whispering to us to be brave, assuring us that it would be all right. Carnivores like hungry mountain lions and coyotes haunted the darkness.

Although the superhuman soldiers were enormous in stature and had brick muscles, they had come the entire one hundred and twenty miles to the courthouse with twelve grown men (the suspects) over their shoulders and were obviously exhausted. They discarded each of us on the glass floor one by one, heaving great sighs of fatigue.

Why they had brought us here over their shoulders was unknown to me, but I assumed it was for security reasons that they could not use a jet or something of that sort. The soldiers were not taking any risks of suspects escaping. They were dead serious about the crime and suspects this time. Penalty was awaiting us, near and brutal.

         One of the fraught soldiers grabbed me by the neck and threw me into the spotlight of the Judge. The startling light pierced my eyes and filled them with searing pain. As omniscient as the Judge may have been, I knew I could outwit him into thinking that I was innocent.

“I have not done anything wrong,” I clasped my hands together and forced my lips into a pseudofulacious grin. “Your bringing me here was for nothing.”

Instantly, guns were aimed and the Judge tensed. “Tell me what happened, now. I’m not in the mood for playing games, and you know the consequences if you are dishonest. I can assure you that you will not like the consequences.”

“Nonsense!” I ejaculated. “I have suffered and survived the consequences more than a few times! They are nothing but a little public humiliation. I have come prepared to face anything.”

“Fine then, Sxhatz. I’ll give you one more chance. Give up what you are holding inside, and I’ll send you home in a private helicopter. Resist, and the consequences are yours.”

My response was simple. “I’m not giving it up.”

The Judge motioned to his soldiers with an expression of remorse, possibly horrified at his decision. The soldiers seized me, but like I had told the Judge, I was prepared for any public humiliation they could think of. They placed me in a chair and handcuffed me to it………… 

But I had been wrong about the consequences. 

I was prepared for anything but the electric chair.     

Strange Reasons For Getting Kicked Off A Plane

 A FEW STRANGE REASONS FOR BEING KICKED OFF AN AIRPLANE

In the news a little while ago, I read a section where it talked about strange and funny reasons that people have been kicked off an airplane before. I thought these reasons were funny and really entertaining, so here some of them are:

 1)   TOO EMOTIONAL: Two sisters were on an airplane together and were crying because they were flying to visit their dad who had recently had a heart attack. One of the sisters asked the flight attendant for a glass of wine, but the flight attendant (seeing that her eyes were red) said, “I think you’ve had enough,” even though the woman had not had a drink on the flight. Both sisters were kicked off the plane for being too emotional.

 2)   BAGGY PANTS: A twenty-year old college football player entered an airplane with saggy pants. He was kicked off the plane.

 3)   PRAYING: At a New York airport, a man was removed from a flight because while he was praying, a flight attendant told him to take his seat. The man said that he didn’t mean any offense, but he couldn’t follow orders until he had concluded his prayer.

 4)    OVERWEIGHT: A man was kicked off an airplane because he was overweight and the plane’s captain said it was a “safety risk” for him to be on the plane.

 5)   SMELLY: A man was asked to leave a flight because a few of the passengers on the plane had complained about an odor he had.

 6)   TAKING A PICTURE: A Miami photographer took a picture of a rude employee’s nametag. The employee told her to delete the picture, so the photographer did, but a few minutes later she was escorted off the plane.

 7)   FEEDING HER BABY: A woman was breast-feeding her baby on an airplane. When a flight attendant tried to hand her a blanket, she refused to cover herself and was asked to leaver the plane.

 8)   NON SMOKING: In the days when smoking was allowed, a man on a plane was a non-smoker and made a special effort to reserve a seat where smoking was not allowed. A lady took the seat next to him, and as soon as the “no smoking” sign went off, she pulled out a cigarette and began to smoke.  The man told her he would not tolerate her smoking next to him, but she ignored him. He complained to the flight attendant, who told him to quit complaining. The man took the cigarette from the lady and butted it. The lady then started yelling and cursing. The flight attendant showed her to a different seat. As soon as the plane landed, the man was kicked off the plane. He complained to the airline and threatened a law suit with publicity (he was a lawyer). The airline gave him two first class tickets to Hawaii.

 I really don’t like planes. If I had a choice between a road trip and an airplane, however, I would most likely choose the airplane. Cars are cramped and can get hot and stinky really easily, but airplanes can as well. At least airplanes get you to the place much faster than cars. I hope I never have a crazy, strange experience like the ones above! I like it better when I am not kicked off airplanes. Unless I get first class tickets to Hawaii! J

The Marshmallow Disaster

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT ROAST MARSHMALLOWS

Once upon a time, there was a girl (me) who really, really, really wanted to roast marshmallows. 

The only problem was that she did not have a place to roast them. Suddenly, the girl remembered that her neighbor had a fire pit on their front porch! The girl took a marshmallow, put it on a stick, and went over to her neighbor’s porch to roast it. The girl didn’t have any matches to start a fire, so she could only pretended to roast the marshmallow. After a little while (apparently the neighbor kid did not want her to roast marshmallows on his porch), so he burst out of the front door and furiously shot her with an air soft gun! The girl screamed and ran away. That experience with the air soft gun scared her, so she learned a good lesson and decided to never roast marshmallows on another person’s porch ever again.

My own personal opinion is that shooting someone with an air soft gun is a HORRIBLE way to punish an innocent girl who’s only desire was to roast marshmallows! What this kid should have done is simply come out of his house, kindly explain to me that he did not want me to roast marshmallows on his porch, and leave his air soft gun alone.

But it’s okay that he did end up shooting me with an air soft gun, because now I know what it feels like (which is pretty painful!), and I also know not to ever make that same mistake of roasting marshmallows again!